Prof. dr. ir. Thea Hilhorst

The world is confronted with more and more emergencies as a result of disasters and armed conflict. Hilhorst has worked at the epicentre of such crises around the world in various contexts. For example, she has studied the supply of food aid to Ethiopia, the consequences of the tsunami in south-east Asia and the effectiveness of emergency aid in countries such as Haiti, Angola, Rwanda, Sudan and Congo. She has also travelled the world to investigate subjects such as local resilience against climate change and community initiatives during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hilhorst adopts a sociological perspective, with an emphasis on the impact of humanitarian aid on the day-to-day lives of people, organisations and communities. One of her conclusions is that the focus in providing humanitarian aid is concentrated on addressing the exceptional conditions during a crisis rather than ensuring the continuity of institutions and economic and social activities. Wrongly, in her view. Applying the self-formulated concept of 'resilience humanitarianism', Hilhorst conducts critical research into aid that is targeted at strengthening the resilience of the people themselves.

As a pioneer of the discipline in the Netherlands and with the help of the tremendous reputation she has established worldwide, Hilhorst devotes herself to the further development of humanitarian studies. Crucial aspects of Hilhorst's approach are collaboration with academics and practitioners in the affected areas and the establishment of local centres of expertise and networks. In 2009, she founded the International Humanitarian Studies Association (IHSA), which is building a network of academics and non-academics in this field of research. Her efforts to promote the training of young researchers is also characteristic of Hilhorst, who has personally supervised many PhD candidates and post-doctoral researchers, at least two-thirds of whom were from the southern low- and middle-income countries. Hilhorst has played a leading role in designing the curriculum for studies in her discipline in the Netherlands and elsewhere, for example by setting up an interactive course in the Democratic Republic of Congo and a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) for aid workers involved in dealing with disasters in crisis situations.

Hilhorst believes that research must be relevant and endeavours through her deep engagement with policy, practice and activism to make a real difference in global development and social justice. A member of the jury that awarded Hilhorst an ERC Advanced Grant noted her ability to combine this active engagement with an outstanding academic record is 'fairly unique'. She was also one of the first scientists to raise the issue of the safety of researchers doing fieldwork in dangerous or politically unstable regions.

As a true public scientist, she regularly writes opinion pieces and elucidates her research for the general public. She is often asked by national media to interpret ongoing conflicts, most recently the war in Ukraine. She is also tireless in using her knowledge to provide advice on policy for the Dutch House of Representatives and aid organisations, as well as in various advisory functions for the United Nations. She has also held supervisory positions in a number of organisations, including the Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction, the Humanity Hub in The Hague and the Core Humanitarian Standard Alliance in Geneva.

The Spinoza Committee is confident that with her deep commitment as a professor with the talent to foster relationships between parties, Thea Hilhorst will continue to make a huge difference to the lives of people affected by crises in the future.

More information

More information about the work of Thea Hilhorst can be found on her website.